The Uchiha Clan: The Vow of Restoration
by pinkrose064
Summary: Hashirama managed to reconcile with Madara, so why didn't it stay that way? Why did the Curse of Hatred consume the Uchiha once again and cause him to abandon his childhood dreams? Reconciliation was temporarily achieved, but restoration was not. MadaraxOC, indirect MadaSaku, SasuSaku
1. Innocent Dreams

"Please, make me your apprentice!"

The Fifth Hokage Tsunade studied the twelve-year-old girl before her intently for a moment. Haruno Sakura stood ramrod straight, her body steeled and green eyes burning with determination. Very few people would've had the audacity to come into Tsunade's office to make this request, and even then, most would've shown at least a hint of nervousness in doing so.

Haruno Sakura displayed none. All she could see in the preteen girl was pure mettle and determination. Most girls would be heartbroken and curled up at home crying after what had recently happened to her. It was quite clear that Haruno Sakura was not most girls. In fact, she reminded Tsunade of someone that she had once known. This cause the Fifth Hokage to smile in satisfaction.

There was no need to warn Sakura that Tsunade would _not_ go easy on her. It was clear that Sakura had come here with full knowledge of that; in fact, she'd been seeking it. She wanted to become stronger, someone that her comrades could rely on. She wanted to be able to stand at Uzumaki Naruto's side in battle and help him bring Uchiha Sasuke back with her own two hands.

Her beloved Uchiha Sasuke.

For that reason, she had sought the tutelage of the strongest kunoichi in the history of Konoha.

"Very well. Follow me." Tsunade said as she stood up from her desk and walked out the room. Sakura seemed momentarily stunned that Tsunade had actually agreed, but she quickly turned and followed the woman.

"Before we begin, I want to tell you something." Tsunade said as she led Sakura through the hallway, "You're not the first Haruno girl to fall in love with an Uchiha... nor are you the first to be abandoned by one."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Sakura asked in confusion.

Tsunade looked up at the sky as she thought of the past, "When I was young, I also had a mentor: Haruno Hanako. She was my grandfather's childhood friend, and the best iryouninja around when Konohagakure was founded. In order to prepare you for your future, I should start by explaining her past..."

誓い

It was an unusually quiet day. Two young shinobi had just finished a sparring match that had ended in a draw. When one had gone to relieve himself in the nearby river, the other had teased him by standing directly behind him, resulting in the two of them running around until both accidentally fell off the cliff and into the river. Fortunately, the river was flowing rather gently, so neither of them was exactly struggling to survive, but both were surprised when a kunai attached to a rope was suddenly dropped into the water, and a girl standing on the nearby cliff called to them to grab hold. The two boys did so, the one with wild black hair grabbing hold first. He looked up and saw the girl straining to pull both of them up.

"Don't be stupid! You can't pull both of us––"

"Shannaro!" The girl exclaimed, suddenly yanking up the rope with a burst of power, inadvertently flinging both boys up the cliff and into the forest several yards behind her. She sweat-dropped and ran after them. "Oh my gosh! I am _so_ sorry! I didn't mean to pull it _that _hard!"

The boy with the crazy black hair looked at her from where he had landed upside down on a bush, "What kind of strength do you have?" He asked incredulously. He could help taking notice of her deep green eyes and dark pink hair.

The girl laughed nervously and walked over to them, "Are you two all right? Are you injured in any way?"

"I'm fine." The boy with black hair said as he leapt up from the bush and looked at his friend. "What about you, Hashirama?"

"I'm fine, I like wood..." The other boy muttered in a daze, having landed sprawled over a log on his stomach. The girl laughed a little and helped him up before leading them both back to where she'd been standing on the cliff. She gathered a pile of dry wood and set it down.

"Let's get a fire going so you two can dry off. Your families will be wondering if you come home dripping wet, right?"

"Yeah, but... the smoke from a fire might draw attention." The boy told her nervously as he supported the still stunned Hashirama.

"Don't worry about it. These are the driest hardwood sticks I could find. They won't produce a great deal of smoke." She told him as she sat down and fruitlessly began trying to light the fire. The boy saw her growing frustration and sighed.

"Let me." He told her, setting his friend down and blowing a small fireball from his mouth to light the wood.

The girl giggled nervously, "Thanks. I'm Hanako."

"Madara." The boy replied as he sat down and gestured to his dazed friend, "This is Hashirama."

"I know." Hanako said with a smile, "I've seen you two around here quite a bit."

"You have?" Hashirama asked as he came to his senses.

Hanako nodded, "Yeah. I come to this area a lot to gather medicinal herbs, so I often see you when you're here."

"How is it that we've never noticed you before?" Madara asked, looking slightly annoyed.

"I'm pretty good at concealing my presence, and no offense, but I generally make a point to not get involved with other shinobi." Hanako explained, "But when I saw you two fall into the river, I couldn't ignore you."

"Why do you avoid other shinobi?" Hashirama asked.

"It's the way of my clan." Hanako replied, "To avoid conflict, we avoid getting involved with shinobi from other clans."

"So then why would you need to gather medicinal herbs so often?" Madara asked, noticing a hole in her logic.

"I'm an iryouninja." Hanako explained, "I make my living by treating ordinary citizens. Many of them get injured in the crossfire of shinobi conflicts, and that bothers me. I make enough treating illness and ordinary injuries that I can treat those who have the misfortune to get caught in those conflicts for free." She gazed thoughtfully into the fire that she and Madara had made. "I've heard some of the things that you guys talk about, you know. I can't help but feel as you do. This shinobi world we live in... there's just something wrong with it... Not only shinobi, but civilians as well, suffer from the constant fighting. People of all ages are killed... women are left widowed... children left orphaned. There's just something wrong with all of it."

"Do you... do you have siblings you lost like us?" Hashirama asked tentatively, but Hanako shook her head.

"No... but I lost my parents... when I was about seven-years-old. That was when I decided to become an iryouninja."

Neither boy knew what to say to that. Whatever family problems they might've had, they were still glad to have their fathers. To think of somebody who had no family at all...

"By the way..." Hashirama began nervously, attempting to change the subject, "What's up with that ridiculous strength?"

Hanako laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. I used chakra to enhance my strength in order to pull you up, but I guess I overestimated the amount needed to lift your combined weight."

誓い

Hashirama and Madara continued to meet up regularly and Hanako stopped hiding from them when she happened to be there as well, often joining in on their conversations or helping them to clean themselves up after they would spar. Sometimes, only Madara was at the river when Hanako came there. On those days, he would help Hanako to improve her taijutsu or marksmanship, for the sake of her own survival. Other days, it was only Hashirama, and on such days, Hanako naturally found herself speaking to the boy about the difficult world they both faced.

One day, she found that the two boys had scaled a large cliff in the area, and rather than bother to climb up and join them, she merely went about her business until they came down. When they did, she followed the two of them to the river. After Hashirama had crossed the river and exchanged skipping stones with Madara, Hanako revealed herself to crazy-haired kid.

"What were you and Hashirama talking about today, Madara-kun?" She asked.

"Oh. We were talking about building a village together someday, with a school where kids could train and grow strong, and a ranking system for missions to take individual ability into account." He told her.

"That sounds amazing..." Hanako said happily, clasping her hands together with a dreamy look. "Just imagine, if all the shinobi in the Land of Fire worked together to create such a village, then citizens would be protected by shinobi instead of fearing them, and even the orphaned children of shinobi would have somebody to look after them." Her gaze became soft as she said, "There wouldn't be so many meaningless deaths..."

"Yeah!" Madara agreed with a grin.

"Hey... Madara-kun... if such a village comes to be, and my clan becomes part of it... then... at that time... could you and I... could we...?" Hanako looked down with a blush and bit her lip, afraid to speak the dream she had recently come to hope for aloud. Madara understood what she was asking and smiled at her.

"Yeah. At that time, there won't be a need to worry about what clans we all come from." He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, causing her to look up at him in surprise, "Someday, Hanako, you and I will be able to decide our own futures." Hanako gasped and smiled happily at the ebony haired boy before she nodded.

"Yeah!"

_The feelings I was hiding are now giving a clear voice to the certain vow that I'm holding in my hands..._

Hanako smiled happily before looking back at the river, "Hey, did you know? In my clan, there are all sorts of stories about this region."

"Huh? Really?" Madara asked, wondering what had brought that up. Hanako nodded to him.

"They say that this river is a river of life, because it brought the mother of my clan together with her husband, and that's why it's called Nakano River: 'the Southern River of Joy'." She explained, "I've also heard that the building where my clan came into being exists somewhere near this river, and that it's called Nakano Shrine." At this, Madara looked taken aback, but Hanako didn't seem to notice as she continued, "They say that the mother of our clan was widowed shortly before giving birth... she was all alone, and the baby was breech, but she and her child were saved by the younger son of the Sage of Six Paths and his wife. However, not wanting to be caught in the conflict between the Sage's younger son and his elder son, she soon left with her child and forbade her descendants from becoming involved with other shinobi... unless there came a time when the Senju and Uchiha made peace with one another, and became allies instead of enemies."

"I see..." Madara said thoughtfully. He wondered if perhaps Hanako had realized the identities of both him and Hashirama, but had, for some reason, continued to interact with them in spite of her clan's laws.

"Hey, Madara-kun?"

"Yes?"

Hanako turned and looked at him again, "To be honest... I need to go to the Forest of Death to obtain some special herbs for a patient's illness... they can only be found in that place, but I... I can't make the journey alone... I hate to ask, but... could you and Hashirama accompany me there next time? We don't have to go very deep." She sighed in frustration, "Truthfully, asking this goes completely against the rules of my clan, but... the truth is that there's nobody in my clan strong enough to go with me. It's pretty sad, but... I'm actually the strongest one... If... If I don't get these herbs... my patient will..."

"I understand." Madara said with a nod, he knew how important it was to Hanako to be able to help people who were suffering, "We can get there by following the river, right? Then we'll go next time if Hashirama is up for it."

It was a promise that couldn't be kept.

* * *

So since it's stated in Origins that for every incarnation of Indra and Ashura, there is also an incarnation of Haruka, I decided to write a story about the incarnation that existed alongside Hashirama and Madara. It will probably be a fairly short story (the story of Madara and Hashirama is only three episodes long in the anime), but it mainly will serve as a slight exposition into Sakura's character as she is in the Uchiha Clan series.

Also, the theme for this story is my personal translation of Innocence by Eir Aoi


	2. Captive Flower

Hanako stood at the edge of the forest on the next day that the two boys met up. Something in the air... felt very wrong. Madara and Hashirama... both of them... were entirely too tense. Neither was smiling. What was the source of bloodlust she sensed on both sides of the river?

"I know it's right of the bat, but... how about we just skip stones instead of exchanging greetings?" Madara suggested.

"Yeah..." Hashirama replied. Both boys reached into the folds of their clothes and retrieved their respective stones before simultaneously skipping them across the river and catching the other's stone in their hands. They looked at each other and then looked at the stones before tensing further.

"Hashirama..." Madara began, "Sorry, I can't stay today... I just remembered something I have to do."

"O-Oh Yeah? Then I'm going to head home." Hashirama replied. The anxiety in Hanako's heart grew. What was going on?

Suddenly both boys dashed off, but in an instant two figures passed each of them. Two men and two younger boys faced each other on the water, the crest of the Senju Clan on the foreheads of those who had come from Hashirama's side of the river and the crest of the Uchiha Clan emblazoned on the backs of those from Madara's side.

"Seems like we're on the same page, huh? Senju Butsama." The man from the Uchiha remarked.

"And Tobirama, I believe." The child beside him added.

"Indeed, Uchiha Tajima." The Senju man, Butsuma replied.

"And then, Izuna, right?" The younger boy from the Senju asked.

Both pairs of father and son dashed toward each other at the same time.

"Stop it!" Madara and Hashirama both called desperately.

Butsuma crossed blades with Tajima as Tobirama crossed blades with Izuna. Suddenly both men jumped back and simultaneously threw weapons at the head of the other's child. A metallic clang rang through the air as both Madara and Hashirama used their skipping stones to deflect the projectiles and protect their respective brothers before both jumped in front of their families.

"I'll never forgive anyone who tries to hurt my younger brother, no matter who it is!" Madara declared.

"Same for me!" Hashirama replied.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment.

"Hey, Hashirama..." Madara began.

"What is it?"

"Maybe it just isn't possible for us... to reach that... pipe dream of ours..."

Hanako couldn't watch anymore. She couldn't afford to get caught up in a battle between the Uchiha and Senju, and it was clear to her that after today, the carefree days she had spent with the two boys would never return. With tears in her eyes, the young girl turned and fled into the forest.

Hanako considered what she should do. Going straight back to her clan might be too dangerous. She had no guarantee that there weren't other Uchiha in this forest. Going to a civilian village was presumably safer, but... She made up her mind. She would go to the Forest of Death. She still needed to get the herbs for her patient, who couldn't afford to wait much longer, and she no longer had someone she could ask for help nor... much to lose anymore.

_I wander a darkness without end, searching for only a true miracle_

Abruptly, a wire wrapped around her ankle, causing her to lose her balance and fall. The young girl screamed as she hit the ground and turned to look over her shoulder to see who had attacked her.

"Did you think I was going to let you escape, little iryouninja?" Tajima asked as he stood over her with his sons.

"Father, why are you...? She has no connection to the Senju." Madara said, trying to not to let his concern for Hanako show.

"I'm aware of that." Tajima replied, "When I checked into Hashirama, I also checked into this girl. She was telling the truth when she said that she earns a living by treating civilians. That said, this girl can be useful to us. Having a skilled medic will mean fewer deaths among our people." He looked at Hanako as she freed her leg from the wire. "I wouldn't advise trying to run."

"I don't intend to." Hanako replied, "If I run, I'll just end up making things worse myself, and if I try to fight, I'll wind up dead. Even Izuna-dono is probably stronger than me. Beyond that, my clan has nothing to offer you in exchange for my freedom. I'm not so important that they would break our ancestor's decree to rescue me. It's obvious that my only option is to do as I'm told to."

"Hm, you're a smart girl." Tajima said with a smirk, "Then as of today, your abilities as a medical ninja belong to the Uchiha."

"Yes..."

Tajima stepped toward Hanako. "Before we go, hand over any weapons or ninja tools you're carrying."

Hanako nodded and carefully handed over two kunai, five smoke bombs, and some wire.

"That's it?" Izuna asked incredulously.

"To avoid drawing the attention of other shinobi, the members of my clan only carry the minimum amount of tools necessary for self-defense. If you're seen as openly armed, you may be deemed as an enemy." Hanako told him, "Two kunai are sufficient for defending against projectiles and swords, smoke bombs provide an opening to escape, and when needed, it's easy to set up traps using only wire and your natural surroundings. That being said, any iryouninja worth her salt is capable of immobilizing an opponent or even running through somebody with her bare hands if she has to. I try to avoid that though. By nature, I'm a healer, not a killer."

Tajima smirked in amusement, "Well never let it be said that iryouninja are not formidable in their own right."

誓い

As she had said, Hanako made no attempts to escape or resist as Madara and his family led her back to the place where their clan resided. Upon arriving, Tajima told his two sons to wait for him at their house before leading Hanako to a small building.

"This will be your dwelling." He told her, "You'll be provided with everything you need. Know that this house will be kept under twenty-four hour guard and you will not be allowed to leave without an escort. When needed, you will be escorted to the battlefield or wherever your skills are needed."

"I understand." Hanako said quietly, silently entering the building when Tajima opened the door for her and clenching her fists as she heard it being closed behind her.

_If I am here, then I will not be able to see the future once again_

Later that night, Madara came and brought some food to her, since she currently did not have any of her own to cook. He found the girl curled into a ball in the farthest corner of the room. With a heavy sigh, he set down the food tray and knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get wrapped up in all of this."

_Tonight again, the moon is calling to me, but I am still unable to voice words._

"What about my patients?" She asked without looking up, "There are people who need me."

"Even if you were allowed to go to them, you'd be required to have an escort. Showing up in the villages with armed Uchiha at your side would only draw trouble to them." Madara pointed out.

"This whole thing is ridiculous..." Hanako replied as she slowly looked up, "According to the stories of my clan, the younger son of the Sage of Six Paths originally came to the Land of Fire to try and reconcile with his older brother. But the elder son was unwilling to forgive his younger brother, and so the two of them clashed each time they met. Eventually, the younger son passed his quest of reconciliation on to his own son, the father of the Senju, but the elder son passed on a very different quest to the Uchiha... a quest to erase the descendants of his brother from this world." She shook her head slowly, "But now... even the Senju don't wish for reconciliation. No matter how many times both clans clash, no matter how many lives are lost, the fighting never ends! And for what?! What are you even fighting for at this point?!" She demanded of Madara.

"The Senju killed all of my younger brothers except Izuna. You know that." Madara said calmly. If it were anyone else, he might've lost his temper, but he knew that at this moment, Hanako was rightfully upset about her situation.

"And the Uchiha killed Hashirama's younger brothers!" Hanako pointed out. "So what?! You're just going to keep killing each other until everything is destroyed?! One person's relative is killed, so their family avenges them, and the killer's family in turn decides to avenge them! An eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth... you'll run out eventually! Can't you see that?!" She sobbed as tears began to flow down her cheeks, "I don't even know who killed my parents, nor do I care... I grew up without anyone at all, and because I had nobody to protect, where everyone else saw honor and pride and love... I've only ever seen hatred, destruction, and foolishness." She sniffled as she wiped her tears and looked up at Madara, "Don't you see? At the end of it all, this is all about an older brother trying to _kill_ his younger brother. Don't you think that's tragic in its irony?"

_Yet deep within, my heart is still crying out!_

"...I understand your point, Hanako." Madara said after a moment, "But we can't change the way things are."

"What happened to 'We will decide our own futures'?" Hanako asked.

"That was before Senju Butsuma threw a kunai at my brother's head." Madara said bluntly. "...But you're different." He added after a beat of silence, "If you earn my clan's respect, you'll be able to marry a member of the Uchiha." Hanako blushed at the unspoken implication there. Madara was still trying to give her hope in the form of a sliver of the future they had so innocently wished for. "I'll help you with your training again tomorrow. Although the general idea is to keep you _away_ from actual battles, you may still have a need to defend yourself. For now, you should eat and get some rest. You need to keep your strength up."

"Okay..."

_The feelings I was hiding are now giving a clear voice to the certain vow that I'm holding in my hands_

"Hey... Madara-kun?" Hanako said anxiously as she heard him turn to leave.

"Yes?" Madara asked.

"Didn't you once say to Hashirama that... achieving your dreams would require holding onto your ideals, no matter what?"

"How did you...?"

"I overheard you. After all, that was the day... that we first met."

Madara sighed, "I did say that to him, but... I was just a fool who didn't know what he was talking about."

"Then... holding on to what you believe in is foolish?" Hanako asked him.

"It is if you insist on continuing to do so even after seeing that it's impossible." He told her.

"But you don't know that it's impossible!" Hanako insisted. "Certainly, right now, with your father and Senju Butsuma leading the way, it cannot be achieved but... someday, you and Hashirama will be the leaders! When that time comes, you'll have the power to change things!"

"It's not that simple. Stop thinking like a child, Hanako. Do you think that clan leaders can simply pursue their own goals without taking the feelings of their clansmen into account?" Madara asked her. "If you don't want to continue to be disappointed, then grow up and gain some wisdom. Otherwise, you'll just be crushed over and over again..."

Madara exited the house quietly and Hanako hugged her knees closer. For some reason, she could imagine Hashirama having a similar argument with his brother Tobirama right about now. Certainly, Madara and Hashirama were alike, but also very different in terms of personality. For that reason, in her mind, she could almost hear Hashirama insisting, "If that's what it means to be wise, then I'm fine with being a fool the rest of my life!"

She smiled a little at that thought. Hashirama was like a brother to her, and Madara was the one that she loved. From the day that she first saw them together, she felt like the two of them were brothers themselves; not through blood, but a connection of the heart.

"You're wrong... Madara-kun..." Hanako said to herself quietly. "I know that even after today, Hashirama won't give up, so I won't give up either. I'll work hard and become stronger, just like you said. I'll become someone to whom you can entrust the lives of those you love. And then, someday, Hashirama and I will prove you wrong, change your mind... and then... the three of us will create our own future... the future that we dreamed of... together."

_After this, if I could become just a little stronger, then I_

_Would resolve to fly across this sky that is lying right in front of my eyes_

_From this point on, I will reach out my hands to grab hold of the future_

* * *

As with Indra and Ashura/Madara and Hashirama/Sasuke and Naruto, the stories of Haruka and Hanako are both unique to that of Sakura's, but still have common elements. Also, Haruka's hair is a deep shade of pink. It's not bubblegum pink like Sakura's, but it's not red either, because that would make her look like an Uzumaki. XD Her eyes are the same deep shade of green as Sakura's mother.


	3. Only a Tool

Hanako was washing her face the next morning when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in Madara-kun!" She called. Madara opened the door and walked in.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked.

"I'm not as skilled a shinobi as you are, but I'm not so dull that I can't identify your chakra at close range." Hanako replied.

"Hm." Madara replied with a nod, "I brought you some food."

"Thank you." She replied, "After breakfast, will you show me around the settlement?"

"Show you around?" Madara asked in slight confusion.

"If I'm going to live here, I need to know where things are and get to know my neighbors." The young girl explained, "But your father said that I can't leave this house without an escort, which frankly, I think is overkill. I couldn't hope to escape from a clan as powerful as the Uchiha, and even if I could, I have nowhere to go. My clan won't allow me to return now that I've caught Lord Tajima's attention, and I'd never be able to survive on my own. As much as I was able to avoid getting mixed up in things before I met you, even I need a roof over my head and people to watch my back."

"I see your point." Madara said with a nod, "But in that case, why did you ever get involved with us to start with?"

"...I was intrigued by the things I heard you talking about, and... I've also... never really had friends." Hanako admitted. "As terrible as my taijutsu is, I was the most skilled member of my clan. People said that I was a hawk born from a kite. You see, I was born with a rare capacity for chakra control. It was for that reason that, when my parents died five years ago, I threw everything I had into my medical training in order to try and fight the constant loss of life in our world."

"...If you don't mind my asking, how did they...?"

"We were in a civilian village at the time. My parents were using their abilities to try to make life a little easier for the people there. However, it came to pass that the village became the site of a battle. My parents tried to protect the villagers while I hid, and were killed in the process. I was one of only a handful of survivors." Hanako explained, "My clan retrieved me and discouraged me from involving myself with the outside world, citing it as the reason for my parents' deaths... but I couldn't help it... I couldn't help but feel sorry for all of the innocents who were getting caught in the crossfire... so when I had learned enough to be a full-fledged byouninja, I set out to help them."

"So you've always been a bit of a rebel." Madara remarked with interest.

"To a point." She admitted, "I guess I couldn't help but feel like hiding from the world wasn't going to solve anything. Still... it wasn't my intention to get caught up between the Senju and the Uchiha. I had begun to suspect your lineage, but I didn't have a clue about Hashirama."

"You suspected?" Madara asked, "How?"

"The members of your clan have very distinct features." Hanako replied, "It's probably the result of generally avoiding marriages with outsiders to preserve the purity of the Sharingan. The Senju have a higher tendency to marry for love, and that's part of why their own Kekkei Genkai is so rare. As a result, they have a greater variation in their appearance than the Uchiha do." She looked away, her gaze growing distant. "But the real reason I never suspected Hashirama's identity was because of his personality. To me, there's no real difference between the Uchiha and the Senju. They call themselves 'the clan of love', but... they make no efforts to seek peace and send small children into battle." Her eyes saddened as a memory flashed through her mind, "I happened to witness the death of Hashirama's younger brother a while before I met you two. He could have not have been more than five-years-old when he was surrounded by adults from your clan and killed without mercy, but... can we really say that the adults who would send such a young child into battle to begin with are any better?" She wrapped her arms around herself, "I wanted so much to help him that night, but there was nothing that I could do... and then the sight of Hashirama wailing in despair as he clung to his brother's little body..." Abruptly, she buried her face in her hands, body hunched over with regret.

Madara frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. It wasn't your fault."

Hanako looked up with a sniffle and wiped her eyes. "At that time, it was too dark for me to see the crest on Hashirama's forehead, so when I saw him again at the river, I didn't realize..." She looked away again, "Hashirama is different from other Senju and other shinobi in general. He openly mourned his brother's death. For that reason, I was unable to connect him with the Senju warriors that I had seen in the past. Then you came along, speaking candidly with him and even poking fun at him to distract him from his despair. Every time I watched the two of you, I couldn't help but think that, even though you were clearly from different clans, you seemed like brothers. In a way, that comforted me. It gave me hope that perhaps the absurdity of this shinobi world could change."

"It can't, Hanako." Madara said bluntly, "Peace between our clans is impossible."

"It's only impossible as long as people continue to hide their hearts." Hanako said sadly. "That's what makes Hashirama different. He doesn't hide his heart. He's open and honest. In the end, he couldn't betray you anymore than you were able to betray him." She looked up at Madara. "The question is, what will you do, Madara-kun? Do you intend to hide your heart like everyone else and fuel the flames of war?" Without waiting for an answer, she slowly placed her hand on his cheek, "It's not possible, you know. No matter how much you try to hide your heart, your eyes reveal the truth..."

Madara blushed a bit and took her hand in his own to remove it, only to stop once he had grasped it as he gazed into her earnest eyes. He sighed with resignation. "You're so annoying..." He muttered, lifting his other hand to cup her cheek, "Because in the end... I don't want to hide my heart from you..."

_You heard my honest voice from afar, along with the pounding inside my chest_

The two of them slowly leaned towards each other to close the gap between them when they suddenly heard a man clearing his throat. Both of them opened their eyes in surprise and separated slightly as they looked toward the sound to find Tajima standing there with a stern expression. The two teens instantly separated themselves and put a more reasonable distance between them.

"Madara, you need to train with your Sharingan. I want Hanako to accompany us in case you should get injured." The man said flatly.

"Of course, Tousan..." Madara replied respectfully. "But Hanako hasn't had breakfast yet."

Tajima raised a brow at his son, "And exactly whose fault is that?"

Madara seemed a bit agitated, but Hanako placed a hand upon his and smiled at him, "It's all right, Madara-kun. I'll just bring it with me. I'm only coming along as a failsafe anyway, so there's no reason that I can't eat while you train."

Madara appeared a bit dumbfounded, but he nodded and watched as Hanako quickly gathered the food he had brought for her into a bundle and stood up to accompany the boy and his father.

"Madara," Tajima began as they headed toward the training ground, "You are the next head of the Uchiha. Don't forget that, even for a moment." Understanding what his father meant, Madara clenched his fists in frustration.

"Yes, Tousan."

血界

Despite her circumstances, Hanako was able to live comfortably among the Uchiha. Most of them treated her as a neighbor and Izuna came to look up to her as an older sister, in part because he simply assumed that Hanako would one day marry Madara. After all, they had all but declared their intention to do so. In fact, when Hanako turned sixteen, she expected that Madara would make things official, but as time passed, he showed no signs of doing so. In fact, he became more distant toward her, almost avoiding her. She couldn't help but feel hurt and confused.

Then, one night, Madara asked Hanako to accompany him to a place that she had never seen before, but she knew a great deal about it. What she didn't expect was what he would say.

"Hanako, Tousan has chosen a bride for me. Futaba. She's a talented member of the clan with strong lineage."

Hanako immediately looked confused. "Madara-kun, what are you talking about? We both promised each other that we would—"

"Do you know what this place is, Hanako?" Madara interrupted, not even turning around to face her. "This is Nakano Shrine. It is the birthplace of the Uchiha Clan. It was named after the river. It's the same shrine that you said that your clan came from when we were kids." He turned toward her, his face devoid of emotion. "Do you understand, Hanako? The birth story of your clan that you know is only a fairytale...

"No, it's—"

"And the future we dreamed of together is only just that, a dream."

"My clan's origins aren't a fairytale! And it's not just a dream! At least, it doesn't have to be..." She looked down, her eyes lined with tears. "It's true that the Uchiha originated here. I knew that. But! The Uchiha aren't the only descendants of Indra, you know!"

"We know who all of our sibling clans are." Madara said flatly, "Almost all of them have Kekkei Genkai and last I checked, none of them _ever_ have pink hair."

"Not all of them..." Hanako said quietly. "I'm sure it's been passed down in your clan's oral history that Indra's wife died, along with their youngest child, during childbirth. However, that's not actually true. Indra told his children that because he didn't want them to know that he had abandoned the two of them when his wife had trouble delivering, due to the imminent arrival of his brother Ashura. But! His wife and child didn't die as he thought they would! Ashura and his wife found them and managed to save them both! Indra's wife never went after her husband because she also did not want their other children to know that he had abandoned them. When the son that she gave birth to was old enough to not require constant attention, she took him and departed from her in-laws, not wanting to be caught in the conflict between Ashura, the brother who had saved her and her child, and Indra, the husband that she still loved despite his betrayal. Before her death, she told her descendants that they should never get involved with the descendants of Ashura and Indra unless they should achieve reconciliation." She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, "So you see, I am also a descendant of Indra. That's why I want nothing more than for this conflict to end... so that we can all be a family again. I'm not willing... to give up on those ideals..."

_I will search for the map that you had imagined would lead us to find our dreams_

Madara sighed, "If the story of your clan is true, then it's only proof that the things we spoke of then were nothing more than the naive ideas of children. Indra abandoned his wife, yet she continued to love him. She had no understanding of the philosophies by which Indra lived, nor do you have any understanding of the teachings by which the Uchiha live to this day. To speak of reconciliation now, after all this time, is mere foolishness. For the sake of the Uchiha, I must marry an Uchiha. I cannot take a bride who does not carry the Sharingan."

Hanako's lip quivered, "So you're going to betray me as Indra betrayed his own wife?"

"We can't continue acting like children who know nothing, Hanako."

"If we continue the way that our ancestors always have, then we will inevitably share their fate!" Hanako exclaimed. "Please, Madara-kun, don't do this! For once in your life, make your own decisions about your own life!"

Madara sighed before he suddenly disappeared.

"Hanako." The teenager girl froze as she heard Madara's voice behind her, his breath on her neck. "Thank you." Her eyes widened slightly and then Hanako crumpled to the floor. Madara turned and walked out of the shrine. As he stepped out the door, he glanced back at her unconscious form, his Sharingan morphing into something new.

血界

Two years later, Hanako knelt in an open meadow and carefully worked to gather herbs that she could use to make medicine.

"Did you have to come so far out to replenish your stock?" Izuna asked tensely. He was standing beside Hanako to look after her, a few other members of the clan hiding nearby in case of emergency.

"These herbs are critical, but they tend to get burnt up in the fields closer to home." Hanako replied, making a subtle jab at the Uchiha's use of fire jutsu, "I would stand out less if you weren't standing over me though, tensed like some kind of falcon zeroing in on its prey."

"My brother uses hawks for his hobby, not falcons."

"That's true, but you're faster than him, so you would be a falcon, not a hawk."

"Hn." Izuna acquiesced on this, "You stand out, with or without me though. _Pink hair_ tends to stand out." Both mentally cringed as they recalled a memory from their childhood in which they had learned this.

"Well, I won't argue with you on that, but you know, I _can_ take care of myself these days."

"The entire point of you being a medical ninja is that you _don't_ fight on the front lines and risk injury."

"No. That was your _father's_ reason for... recruiting me." Hanako replied icily, "_I _had a very different reason for choosing this profession. One that had nothing to do with this ridiculous, pointless conflict."

Izuna winced at her tone, "Sorry. That was careless of me."

"Don't worry about it. I've been a little thorny lately." They both knew why. "You've probably been getting the worst of it because you're around me the most."

"Tousan thinks that it's best that way."

"Your father probably isn't a topic that we should discuss, Izuna." Hanako replied, "Unless it pertained to medicine, Lord Tajima has never once cared to listen to a single thing I've had to—"

"Shh!' Izuna said suddenly.

"Oh, now you too?" She asked indignantly.

"No, not that!" Izuna said urgently. "Someone is coming... Senju... Hide, there, behind that rock! They don't have the Sharingan, so they won't see you!"

Hanako sighed, but did as Izuna said. She was more than capable of busting some heads... but that didn't mean that she wanted to, and besides, ally to the Uchiha or not, she didn't want to fight the Senju.

"Izuna." Came the voice of a man that Hanako did not recognize.

"Tobirama." Izuna replied tensely.

"What are you and your comrades doing here? And tell whoever's behind that rock to come out." Tobirama insisted.

Hanako sighed and stepped out from behind the rock, causing Izuna to gape at her in shock. "Wha—Hanako-san!"

"There's no point in aggravating them and no point in hiding when they know I'm here. Stealth was never my forte." Hanako replied bluntly.

Tobirama blinked at the woman. It wasn't totally unheard of for a woman to be amongst shinobi in this era, but... "You're not Uchiha."

Hanako scoffed, "You don't say? I wouldn't have thought you'd need to _see_ me to figure that much out. After all, you're supposed to be _such_ a good sensor, and my capacity for Katon is nonexistent."

Tobirama's eye twitched. This woman certainly _talked_ like an Uchiha. "What's your name?"

"Hanako."

"Your _full_ name."

"It's shinobi law not to proffer your clan name to a stranger unless they give theirs first."

"You already know my full name." Tobirama pointed out, and Hanako sweat-dropped.

"It doesn't matter." She replied flatly, "My clan abandoned me when I was twelve."

"You mean you betrayed them."

"No, I mean they _abandoned_ me." She said bluntly, "Uchiha Tajima became interested in my abilities and 'recruited' me. They never tried to get me back."

"You never tried to leave?" Tobirama asked skeptically.

"It wasn't really an option."

"So you are an ally of the Uchiha."

Hanako snorted again, "You're really not as smart as people say. 'Ally' would imply that I was given a choice in the matter. I wasn't. I _chose_ to cooperate and survive, as opposed to the alternative."

"Have you been sore about that all these years?" Izuna asked.

"No offense, Izuna-dono, but people _died_ because I couldn't be there to help them, and your father is pretty much the one responsible. So yeah. Just a little."

"You never said anything back then."

"Again, no offense, Izuna-dono, but you were _ten_ and far more concerned with your kenjutsu than my... personal problems."

"Enough." Tobirama interrupted, frustrated that this was going nowhere, "What is it that you do, _Hanako?_"

"I'm a byouninja. Izuna-dono and the others escorted me here to collect herbs."

"Then take shelter for now. When the battle is over, you'll accompany the victors."

Hanako's eyes narrowed dangerously and she abruptly slammed her heel into the ground, causing it to crack and shake violently beneath everyone's feet. "_Excuse me?! _I am **not** some prize to be won! Ugh, shinobi clans, they're all the same!"

"Uh... Hanako-san, don't _you_ come from a shinobi clan?" Izuna pointed out nervously.

"Technically, what I was taught is Ninshu, which is a little bit different. Jutsu are still important, but it's not quite the same. There's a reason I used to only carry enough tools to be used for self-defense."

Tobirama raised a brow at that. "How many do you carry now?"

Hanako grinned wickedly, "Oh, now I don't need weapons."

Izuna quickly put out a hand to stop her, "Hanako-san, we just went over this, you're a byouninja. Your job is to stay off of the frontlines. My job right now is to protect you. For the moment, do as Tobirama says and take shelter behind the boulder. If, somehow, we fail to defend you, _then_ you can send them to their deaths."

Hanako glared at Izuna for a moment, but she promptly humphed before turning on her heel and going back to hide behind the boulder. She stayed there for most of the battle, picking at blades of grass with her fingers, but then she heard Izuna cry out in pain and peered out in time to see him fall to the ground with a gaping wound. "Izuna-dono!" Tobirama moved to finish the Uchiha, but suddenly found his blade blocked by Hanako's criss-crossed kunai, her green eyes blazing up at him. "Shannaro!" She screamed with effort, forcing the silver-haired teen back and planted herself between him and the wounded Izuna. "Back down, Tobirama! I don't want to fight you, but I won't just allow you to kill Izuna-dono!"

"Hanako-san!" Izuna cried in surprise, with a tone that also suggested protest.

Hanako looked over at Izuna, "You are Madara-kun's precious younger brother! I _refuse_ to let you die!"

"They are your captors! Why are you defending them?!" Tobirama exclaimed.

"It's true that I have no great love for Uchiha Tajima, considering, but...! Izuna _isn't _his father! He _isn't _his clan! To me, he is my friend, nothing less, and nothing more!"

"Why stand to defend those that enslaved you when you could be somewhere your abilities would be valued?!"

"_Everyone_ values my abilities! The problem is that they don't value **me!"**

"You just said that people have died because the Uchiha prevented you from—!"

"Those people died because of Tajima! No one else!" Hanako burst with tears in her eyes, "Why are you so fixated on things like clans without thinking about individuals?! My mother and father were killed by both the Uchiha _and_ the Senju! And you know what? I couldn't care less!" This caused the sounds of the battle to cease. Hanako stared at the ground, her fists shaking. "When a village that they were trying to help got swept up in a battle, my parents died trying to protect the villagers. They tried to get the shinobi to leave, but their cries fell on death ears. I watched as my mother's throat was slit by a well-thrown shuriken and my father was cut down with a Senju sword. I was only seven."

"Hanako-chan, you never told us any of that." A voice said, and Hashirama strode forward.

Hanako looked up at him, then gazed at the ground once more. "Well, we always dileberately avoided talking about the Uchiha and the Senju, so I saw no reason to mention it. Besides, there was no point in it. Holding grudges would get us nowhere and I knew... if either clan found out about our days at the river, well... really, what actually did happen was probably a best-case scenario." She turned her gaze toward Hashirama again, "After my parents' death, I was taken back by my clan and their teachings were drilled into my brain. Learn to control your chakra. Don't become involved in conflict. Don't leave the settlement." She bit her lip, "But I just couldn't obey it. I couldn't turn a blind eye to all of the strife swirling around me. So I did what my parents did: I set out to help people." She chuckled wryly, "'The pink-haired ones are always rebellious, and they always doom themselves to heartbreak in the end.' That was what the clan elders said when I first started going out. They were probably right, but moping over that won't change things, will it?"

"...Hanako-chan..." Hashirama began with a sorrowful expression, "Come with us. It's true you won't be able to wander around, but you don't have to give us aid, either. You can just live with us."

Hanako snorted in amusement, "If it were anyone but you, Hashirama, I would think you were trying to trick me into joining the Senju. But I know you. Perhaps, better than anyone else." She looked her old friend in the eye, "Allow me to heal Izuna first. I won't leave while he is injured."

Hashirama nodded. "Of course."

"Anija!" Tobirama exclaimed.

"Enough, Tobirama. You don't know anything at all about Hanako-chan, so you can't impede her decision."

Hanako knelt down next to the still injured Izuna and began pouring her chakra into his wounds to heal them.

"Hanako-neesan..." Izuna began in protest.

"Hush, Izuna. I'm doing this for your sake, not mine." Hanako told him before meeting his eyes with a sad expression, "It was completely unfair to you for your father to decide our engagement all on his own. You deserve to be happy, to be with somebody who loves you, and not Madara-kun."

"You still love Niisan after what happened?" Izuna asked in surprise.

"I have never stopped loving your brother, even though I can't say that the reverse is true." Hanako replied, "But don't misunderstand. If I'm not doing this because you are his brother. If that were the case, I could simply escape and then heal you. I'm doing this because you are my friend, and I don't want you to be forced to share my unhappiness. I want you to find somebody that loves you for you, and for you to have a happy life."

Izuna seemed regretful in that moment, "...You're wrong, you know..." He said softly, "Niisan didn't stop loving you. On that night... he awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan."

Hanako's eyes widened and then she smiled bitterly, "I'm sure even that was your father's doing... but it can't be helped. What's done is done." Her hands stopped glowing and she pulled them away. "I can't heal you fully. Doing so would mean risking a resumption of the violence. But you'll at least be able to get home and get some rest. Take the herbs with you. The other medics will be able to make use of them."

"You actually trust them?" Izuna asked.

"I trust Hashirama. He is nothing if not sincere." Hanako reached into her pouch and placed a small scroll down. "Give this to Madara-kun for me." The pink-haired teenager stood up and left with the Senju party.

"So you'll leave the place where Madara is just so that his brother won't be forced to marry you?" Tobirama asked skeptically. "Anija, what in the world makes you think we can trust this woman?"

"You misunderstand me, Tobirama-san." Hanako said icily, "I would sooner have stayed with the Uchiha than accompany _you. _It's only because it was Hashirama asking that I came. It's true I'm concerned with Izuna's happiness, but I had a personal reason as well." She clenched her fists, "I'm through with being a tool for Uchiha Tajima!"

_If with the pain I have from running toward the light that is breaking through all the heavy clouds, I was able to take flight in that distant sky again..._

"Anija!" Tobirama exclaimed, demanding an answer from his brother.

"Madara and I both became friends with Hanako-chan during the days when we would meet by the river. There were even times when she and I had conversations while he wasn't around. I can tell from her actions that her desire for peace hasn't changed in all these years." Hashirama explained.

"I'm in love with Madara, but Hashirama is also like a brother to me." Hanako added, "The only reason I held back, the only reason I didn't attack you, Tobirama, was out of respect for him. But at the same time, I couldn't allow you to kill Izuna. In addition to being Madara-kun's younger brother, Izuna was also like a younger brother to me." She looked over at Hashirama, "I'm truly grateful that you showed up, Hashirama. If you hadn't... I feel like I would've been forced to choose between two of my own brothers."

血界

Upon arriving at the Senju settlement, Hanako chose to re-devote herself to the teachings of Ninshu. At her request, Hashirama built a home for her on the outskirts of the settlement, providing her with a modicum of isolation. She treated the sick and any children who came by injuries through non-combative activities, but refused to be involved in the treatment of those who were wounded in war unless the injury would be fatal without her, maintaining that she did not want to continue to be a part of the war in any form. Batsuma was annoyed by this, claiming that she owed it to them for providing her with protection and for her having helped the Uchiha all these years, but Hashirama remained firm against his father that Hanako ought to be given the freedom to choose that Tajima had denied her.

It was only a day or two after she had arrived in the settlement when a hawk came to her with a message. Recognizing it as one that Madara used for his falconry, she allowed the bird to land on her arm and read the message that had been attached to its leg.

"_You have my thanks, Hanako. Because of you, not only has Izuna survived his injuries, but he awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan as well._

_Madara"_

Hanako smiled wryly at the message. She could think of any number of reasons that Madara had obviously sent this without his father's knowing, not the least of which was the chance of intelligence leak, but he had thanked her anyway, so perhaps... she still held a tiny place in his heart. Despite that, she held a single regret.

_"_Looks like you've managed to use me once again, Uchiha Tajima."

* * *

Whew! This took me way longer than it should've to write! The reason Izuna awakened his Mangekyou is because of the guilt from not being able to "protect" Hanako from the Senju. In Madara's case, the guilt of breaking their vow and Hanako's heart was equivalent to that of if she had died.


	4. The Eternal Vow

"Farewell..."

A tear fell.

A hand moved to plunge a kunai into the owner's own stomach.

A gloved hand grabbed that of the one holding the kunai.

"Enough... I've already seen what's inside you."

Hanako's eyes brimmed with tears at the sight in front of her. The sight of Madara stopping Hashirama after Hashirama had tried to take his own life for the sake of peace.

"Madara-kun!" Suddenly she was there, kneeling beside the Uchiha.

Madara's eyes widened in pure astonishment. "Hanako..."

"Hanako...chan..." Hashirama managed, equally stunned as Hanako gently pried Madara's hand away from Hashirama and made him lay back so that she could heal him.

"What are you doing here?" Tobirama asked, exceedingly less surprised than the other two. He had probably sensed her prior to this point. "You were supposed to stay at the compound."

"Do you think I'm _blind_ or something?!" She demanded of the younger Senju, "There's no way I could miss the sight of something as masssive as a Susanoo and Mokuton Golem fighting each other, even from the compound!"

Tobirama couldn't really argue with that.

"Hanako..." Madara said again. He seemed to be at a loss for words, even more so when tears began to flow down her face.

"I'm sorry... Madara-kun..." She whimpered even as she treated him, "I left because I wanted to give Izuna a chance to have a happy life, but... If I... If I had been there... If I had stayed... he would still be..."

Madara reached up and gently caught one of her tears. "Don't apologize, Hanako. If anything, I'm the one who should apologize to you. I broke my promise to you. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have had any reason to leave."

Hanako shook her head, "No. Your father was the one who insisted on the engagement between Izuna and I. If he had just allowed Izuna to choose his own bride, that would've been enough." She smiled weakly at him, "But... it's all right now... As long as this war ends... as long as the village we dreamed of is made a reality... that's enough."

誓い

It was some time after that day that Hanako walked through the streets of the newly founded village and found herself gazing around in awe. Her own clan, the Haruno, had been quick to join the new alliance between the Uchiha and the Senju. After that, the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka, who already had an agreement between themselves, had joined. The little Yamanaka girl who helped out in her family's flower shop was just adorable. Already, all around her, she could see their dream blooming to life.

_I'll narrow my eyes due to how dazzling the perfectly clear world stretching out without any real end is_

And then the dream came crashing down.

Hashirama had planned on making Madara the village leader, and had told him as much, but Tobirama had protested and insisted on doing things "democratically". Feeling slighted when Hashirama caved under the pressure from his brother and subsequently became the "Hokage", Madara decided that the two of them no longer shared the same dream and decided to leave the village completely. Having already told Hashirama all of this, he made his way to the village gate, only to find Hanako waiting for him.

"You're leaving... aren't you?" She asked him, looking at him with an expression bordering on despair.

"It's clear that this village is the fruit of Hashirama's dreams, not mine." Madara told her, "I no longer have a younger brother to protect, and even the clan has lost faith in me. My oldest is already of age to take my place, so I might as well just take my leave."

"Madara-kun, please..." Hanako began, "Tobirama is a fool, and so are all of the others! Saying that Hashirama founded the village on his own?! That's absurd! Your role was integral as his! You're even the one who named this place! Please, I'm begging you... don't leave. I... I won't let Tobirama become the next Hokage! I'll help prove to everyone that it should be you!"

_If I can pull the strength to be able to believe to my chest, then_

_I will fly all around in this sky that has not a single cloud_

"But if you leave... I won't be able to do anything... What will happen to the Uchiha then?! I think you're absolutely right about the clan being doomed if Tobirama succeeds Hashirama!" Hanako watched as Madara began to walk past her without a word. "Please... just stay here! Otherwise, everything that we've dreamed of will fall apart..."

Madara sighed in resignation. "You're... so annoying." He said. The last thing Hanako saw before she collapsed was Madara's Sharingan.

誓い

"Hanako-chan! Hanako-chan!"

Hanako groaned and opened her eyes, only to find Hashirama kneeling beside her, his face clouded with concern.

"Hashirama..."

Hashirama sighed in relief as the woman sat up. "Did you try to stop Madara from leaving?" He asked.

"It's not as if I challenged him." Hanako replied quietly, "I just tried to reason with him."

Tobirama—whose presence she'd failed to notice until just now—snorted. "Reasoning with Madara is impossible."

To Hashirama's surprise, Tobirama was suddenly sent flying backwards as Hanako punched him in the face with incredible force. Tobirama obviously had not seen it coming, or he would've used Hiraishin to dodge.

"You shut up, Tobirama!" She exclaimed angrily, "This is primarily your fault! You always think you know everything, and I'm sick of it! And you...!" At this, She whirled at Hashirama, stabbing a finger to his chest accusingly, "You're entirely too indulgent of him, Hashirama! You should've kept your promise to Madara-kun! This happened because you didn't keep your word! It's no wonder he didn't trust you to 'handle' Tobirama and his annoying, obsessive inability to _get over_ things!" Hashirama's eyes were still wide with shock as Hanako abruptly disappeared, and Tobirama groaned as he picked himself up from the splinters of the tree he had collided with.

"Aren't you going to go after her?" He asked, a bit surprised—and annoyed—that his brother hadn't retaliated against the woman.

"I'd rather not get punched 50 meters like you just did." Hashirama replied, "I'll go after her once she's had some time to cool off."

誓い

Some time later, Hanako stood in the midst of what _had_ been a portion of the forest, but was now reduced to nothing but splinters of wood and a giant crater. She panted before sinking to her knees and beginning to sob, not bothering to look up at the quiet footsteps that approached her.

"Are you okay?" Mito, the wife of Hashirama, asked her. Hanako sniffled and shook her head, and Mito knelt beside her to listen.

"...I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never be truly happy..." The pink-haired kunoichi said quietly, "But at this rate... everything we dreamed of will be destroyed."

"Hanako-san..." Mito said quietly.

"Even if I could never love him freely... to create this cornerstone of peace and live working side-by-side with them to make it into something amazing... That was what I wanted..." Hanako told her.

Sensing that Hanako was no longer likely to knock him for a loop, Hashirama approached his childhood friend and knelt beside her and his wife. "Hanako-chan..."

Hanako's head snapped up and she looked at Hashirama with tear-filled eyes, "Hashirama... I have a once in a lifetime request... please... bring Madara-kun back..."

Hashirama nodded to her. "I will."

誓い

Hanako rushed towards where she had heard Madara was fighting Hashirama. That annoyance, Tobirama, had prevented her from approaching the scene until now. She stopped in her tracks, eyes widening in horror at the sight before her. Hashirama had run Madara through with his katana. She could just make out the words they were exchanging...

"...I can't believe my back was taken..." Madara gasped.

"I will protect our... no... I will protect _my_ village." Hashirama said resolutely. "No matter what. I still believe to this day that protecting the village will lead to the protection of the people, shinobi, and children! I will not forgive anyone who threatens the village, be they a friend... a sibling... or even my own child..."

Madara fell to his knees, the water around them splashing as he did. "You've changed... Hashirama. You've got your priorities backwards. Ultimately... it shall someday lead the village into darkness."

Hashirama looked at the sky before stumbling and falling to his knees as well.

"MADARA-KUN!!!" Hanako screamed in anguish. Hashirama had barely registered her presence when she was suddenly kneeling beside the Uchiha, yanking out Hashirama's katana and tossing it aside before gently pulling Madara's lifeless body into her arms. Hashirama appeared to be in shock as he watched her weep in despair.

"...Hanako...Chan—"

"Don't call me that!" Hanako exclaimed, turning to look at him with blazing anger. "You promised me, Hashirama! You promised you would bring Madara-kun back, but you killed him instead!" Tears continued to flow down her cheeks, "So don't you _dare_ think that you have a right to speak so familiarly to me! I don't even want to hear you call me by my given name!" She clung more tightly to Madara's body, her mind flashing back to that precious moment when they were young.

_"At that time, there won't be a need to worry about what clans we all come from." Madara had turned and smiled at her, "Someday, Hanako, you and I will be able to decide our own futures."_

But ultimately, Hanako hadn't been able to decide her own future at all. She had always found herself being dragged down one road or another by the people around her. The innocent dream they'd once shared was now lost forever.

The droplets of water falling around her were merely the lingering after-effect from the battle, but to her, it seemed as though the world was crying alongside her.

_I do not have any of the things I've lost here in my tightly grasped, trembling fingers_

_So I'll burn into my memory only your smiling face..._

"Um... Lady Tsunade... why are you telling me all of this?" Sakura asked, feeling a bit unnerved by the tragic tale that her new mentor had just finished telling.

"As I mentioned, Haruno Hanako later became my mentor, although that was several decades later." Tsunade reminded the girl, "Before her death, she told me that if another girl from her clan should fall in love with and be abandoned by an Uchiha, I was to pass on these two things, in the hopes that history would not repeat itself." At this, she turned to face her new student, "First, if you truly love Sasuke, then don't just rely on somebody else to bring him back. Fight to take him back with your own hands. Although the fact that you've come to me shows that you already reached that conclusion on your own. The second is this: don't give up on your ideals, no matter what. According to Hanako-sensei, the reason why neither Madara nor my grandfather kept their promises to her was because they both lost sight of their ideals, the things that they had dreamed of as children. Thus, she came to the conclusion that if a person loses sight of their ideals, they lose not only their dreams, but themselves as well."

Sakura nodded firmly, "Out of curiosity, what happened to Lady Hanako after that?"

"She withdrew from the medical corps and retired as a shinobi." Tsunade replied, "Although she did maintain her friendship with my grandmother, Mito, she engaged in only the level of contact with my grandfather that his position required. It seems that after a period of introspection following Madara's death, she decided that staying true to her own ideals meant helping those who had suffered misfortune because of the Shinobi world, and to that extent, established an orphanage on the outskirts of Konoha, which still exists today." Tsunade chuckled, "My grandmother told me that she stubbornly refused my grandfather's help in building it, but eventually agreed to allowing the Uchiha to assist her. The Uchiha had only the highest of regards for her and treated her as an honorary member of their clan."

Sakura nodded and her gaze hardened once again, "I understand, Lady Tsunade. I will carve your mentor's words on my heart. I won't just wait for Naruto to bring Sasuke-kun back. I'll _fight_ to win him back with my own hands!"

誓い

That night, Sakura gazed at her photo of Team 7 and thought of Sasuke. To be truthful, Tsunade's story had shaken her. The last thing that Madara said when he had broken off his unspoken engagement to Hanako was the same as the last words Sasuke had spoken to her before he left.

"Thank you."

Was history really going to repeat itself in such a cruel way?

She shook her head to clear it. Absolutely not. Naruto wasn't the First Hokage. She couldn't even imagine that idiot, who so proudly declared that he never went back on his word, daring to break his promise to her. Besides, Naruto didn't have a know-it-all younger brother to get in the way. It was strange, but really, Sasuke was the person he was closest to.

He was also the person she was closest to. She remembered everything clearly. When she'd heard what had happened to the Uchiha Clan, she'd made great efforts to be there for him, but was too timid to actually approach him. In the Forest of Death and in the battle against Gaara, she had fought to protect him. And Sasuke had acknowledged her in his own way. When she had begged him to stop his bloodthirsty rampage after the curse mark had first awakened, he listened.

As children, they had all been outcasts. They had all been alone. Then they had been together, and while they might be separated for now, she, Naruto, and Sasuke were not Hanako, Hashirama, and Madara. Their story was going to have a different ending.

_If the end of this never-ending episode can be captured, then yours and my feelings now will certainly_

_Link and color the broken fragments from our childhood days_

Sakura looked around in the strangely illuminated space. Where was she? The last thing she recalled was Sasuke calling her "annoying", and then...

He had run her through with his bare hand?

No, that couldn't be right. He must've knocked her out with a genjutsu, but then... why couldn't she wake up?

"Have you recovered from the shock, Sakura?"

Sakura's eyes widened and she turned around, only to find the Sage of Six Paths sitting in midair behind her.

"Rikudon Sennin..." Sakura said in confusion, "Where is this?"

"Hm, you could say that we are in the depths of your mind, although that's not entirely accurate." The Sage said, "I apologize, but I no longer had enough chakra to maintain a physical presence. This was the only way for me to speak to you. And then... there is someone else to whom you should also speak."

Sakura turned to her right as light gathered to reveal a young woman with long, orangish-pink hair in a braid and hazel eyes. Her facial features were similar to those of Sakura herself, and she also bore a Byakugo seal on her forehead.

"You are...?"

The woman smiled kindly at Sakura, "You know who I am. You've always been aware of me. When you were younger, I was that part of you that often wanted to express feelings that were the opposite of how you presented yourself."

"Allow me to introduce you properly." The Sage said as he floated between them, "This is Ōtsutsuki Haruka, my daughter-in-law, the wife of Indra."

Sakura's eyes widened, "The wife of...?"

"I met Indra-kun immediately after he became estranged from his family." Haruka told her, "I became his very first student, and later, his wife. I admired my husband deeply and was unaware of the path he had chosen to follow. Despite that..." She sighed, "Do you know how your own Haruno clan came to exist, Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment, her mind going back to the story that Tsunade had told her four years earlier. "Um... If I recall... Indra abandoned his wife—that is, abandoned you—when you had problems with delivering your final child, because Ashura's arrival was imminent, and the Haruno are descendants of that child."

"That is both correct and incorrect." Haruka told her, "It is true that my husband left me behind because of my difficult labor and Ashura's impending arrival, but I later came to understand that he didn't actually abandon me. Indra-kun realized that I needed help, but he didn't have the medical knowledge to help me. He also knew that Ashura possessed the ability to save both me and our child. Unable to bear the idea of asking his brother for help directly, he left me behind, knowing that Ashura would take pity on me even if I were the wife of one he considered an enemy, and would do everything he could to save me and our son. This was also a means of protecting our other children, since he didn't want them to get caught in the middle if he came to blows with Ashura."

"But you had also had trouble giving birth to your twins, didn't you?" Sakura asked, even though she wasn't sure how she knew that.

"I did have difficulty with the twins, but at that time, the doctor from whom I had learned medicine and whom I had in turn taught iryouninjutsu was able to help." Haruka explained, "But by the time I went into labor with my youngest, he had passed away. Haruno was breech and needed to be turned. That was the reason I was unable to deliver him, but nobody among our people knew how to help me." She smiled bitterly, "That's not to say that that Indra-kun didn't regret leaving me behind. Although that monster, Kurozetsu, had insisted that I was of no further use—that I was nothing more than a liability—My husband still felt guilty about leaving me behind. When I recovered from the ordeal after Ashura found me, he handed me a letter that Indra-kun had left. He insisted that our youngest should be named in my honor. That our baby boy was a testament of my strength and would be my legacy." There was a strange fondness in her smile, "I knew my husband better than anyone, especially Kurozetsu. I knew that even if his pride would not allow him to say it, Indra-kun felt guilty about leaving Haruno and I behind. But... despite the tears that I shed at that time, I eventually came to realize that he had not abandoned us. He saw what our best chance of survival was and entrusted us to his brother, even if he would never admit it. He took the other children away to ensure their safety, because he knew he couldn't trust himself around Ashura. Despite knowing this, I didn't attempt to reunite with him. Indra-kun and I were of the same mind in that we did not want our other children to know that he had left Haruno and I behind. He told them that we had died, and because I did not wish for them to hate their father, I did not reveal myself to them." She looked down, "I told Haruno over and over that Indra-kun had left for the sake of our survival, but I guess some part of him resented Indra-kun for leaving, and that is why the story passed down in the Haruno Clan was that he had abandoned us. However, Haruno and his descendants honored my most important decree. As a whole, they never allowed themselves to be caught between Ashura and Indra. They remained neutral between their sibling clans and the descendants of Ashura, even to the point of avoiding contact with all other clans. By the time your predecessor, Hanako, met Madara and Hashirama, the Haruno were the only remaining practitioners of Ninshu, the teachings of which I had followed while raising Haruno on my own. The Haruno were the true 'Clan of Love', for I had taught my son and his family that if you truly love somebody, you never give up on them, ever. To this day, I still love Indra-kun, just as you love Sasuke-kun. Neither of us can help but love them."

Sakura looked down, her eyes lined with tears, "But... Sasuke-kun doesn't..."

"He does." Haruka said firmly, "He loves you, Sakura-chan. He always has and he always will, just as Indra has always continued to love me all this time. Deep down, he isn't capable of hurting you, even if he tries... but that's not to say it couldn't happen on accident."

"Huh?" At this, Sakura looked up, slightly confused.

"Do you remember that day, four years ago, on the rooftop of the hospital?" Haruka asked her, "Naruto and Sasuke-kun charged at each other with their strongest attacks and the two of us, unable to bear watching them fight, foolishly tried to get in between them. If Kakashi had not appeared at that moment, you likely would've died." Haruka's gaze drifted to the ground, "Sasuke-kun knew that this time, there would not be an older, stronger shinobi there to save you. He knew that if he did not use a genjutsu to render you unconscious, you would most certainly chase after them, get between them, and be killed."

At this, Hagoromo nodded, "That is true. He said as much himself. His genjutsu was no doubt cruel, but it was meant to protect you; to ensure that even if he and Naruto do not survive, you will."

Sakura's lip quivered at this and she looked at the ground, struggling to contain the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "It's always, _always_ like this!" She exclaimed in frustration, "I can only whine and cry and beg and still my words do not reach him and I'm left having to rely on Naruto for everything, _again!_"

"No." Haruka said softly, walking forward and embracing her descendant, "In the past, I always relied on Ashura without ever trying to do anything myself to bring Indra-kun back... but after the way things ended with Hanako, I made up my mind that I would not repeat that mistake again. The words which Tsunade passed on to you were an expression of my own resolve that the next time, things would be different." She smiled softly, "But in the end, the advice was unnecessary. You had already heeded my resolve before that point. It was why you went to Tsunade in the first place. Make no mistake, Sakura-chan, what Naruto said is correct. He is not Ashura, Sasuke-kun is not Indra-kun, and _you_ are _not me; _for although the three of you inherited our chakra, you still possess your own, individual wills, and thus, you are able to find a different ending, a better ending, than we did."

_The two of us will follow the path that has been drawn by both of our hearts_

Sakura awoke with a start.

"You're finally awake." Kakashi said in relief. Sakura looked at the color of the sky and the position of the sun.

"It's... dusk already...?" She asked. At this time of year, that would mean she'd been unconscious for roughly twelve hours. Then again, any _normal_ person would've been out for at least three days. It was only her extreme resistance to genjutsu and her incredibly strong mind (which she now understood was partially because of Haruka's chakra within her) that she'd recovered so quickly. At the thought of her ancestor, she gasped and looked at Kakashi, "Where are Sasuke-kun and Naruto?!"

Kakashi hesitated before telling her, "They're... currently fighting their final battle... ...in order to settle things for good."

Sakura looked momentarily terrified, but then she frowned in resolve and slowly got to her feet. "Let's go. I'll help you, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi looked both worried and confused, "Sakura... surely you don't plan on trying to stop them...?"

"No." Sakura said, "Not this time. I won't repeat my mistake from four years ago. But they're sure to be injured once it's over, so I need to be there to heal them. I trust that Naruto will bring Sasuke-kun back to me. He won't repeat the First Hokage's mistake. But if, after they've worn themselves out, Sasuke-kun still won't listen to Naruto..." She punched her palm with her fist, "Then I'll _make_ him listen to me! By the time they're done, he'll be way too exhausted to cast a genjutsu and if the part of him that is Indra wants to have a mental battle, well... I'm pretty sure his _wife_ has a few things that she wants to say to him after all these years. No more waiting and relying on Ashura _or_ Naruto!"

"...Huh?"

_The feelings I was hiding are now giving a clear voice to the certain vow that I'm holding in my hands_

_After this, if I could become just a little stronger, then I_

"Sakura..." Sasuke began as Sakura bent over him and Naruto and began to close the wounds of their severed arms.

"For right now, shut up." Sakura told him, "I need to concentrate."

Sasuke's eye, the one that wasn't swollen shut, narrowed slightly in something like fondness or sentimentality. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?" Sakura asked.

"For everything... up until now." Sasuke told her.

Sakura's shoulders began to shake. "You should be..." Tears began to fall down her cheeks, "Really... shannaro, you idiot!"

Naruto and Sasuke managed to sit up after Sakura finished. Sasuke smiled fondly as Naruto jabbered on about something or another and Sakura wiped her eyes.

_Would resolve to fly across this sky that is lying right in front of my very eyes_

"...You really insist on leaving?" Sakura asked as she stood at the A-un gate with Sasuke and Kakashi. "The artificial hand that Lady Tsunade is crafting from Lord Hashirama's cells will be ready soon."

"I want to know the shinobi world... ...how **this** world, looks to the current me." Sasuke told her. "I feel like I'll now be able to see the things I've overlooked. Things that I can only perceive in my current state. And... there's a matter that's been weighing on me."

Sakura averted her gaze shyly, "W-What if... ...I said I wanted to come with you?" She shyly glanced up at him through her lashes, but Sasuke closed his eyes sadly.

"It's a journey of atonement too. And you have nothing to do with my crimes."

Sakura's shoulders slumped, "Nothing to do with... huh..." She knew what he meant, but that wasn't the greatest way to phrase it.

She looked up as she heard him approach her and felt him gently press his index and middle finger to her forehead. "Maybe next time." He said with a soft smile, "Thank you..."

Sakura blushed as her eyes widened. This was the second time he had thanked her before leaving the village, but this time, she knew he would come back. Her future would be forever linked with his.

From whatever space she occupied in Sakura's head, Haruka smiled, able to see the gentle smile of Indra as he looked back at her while walking away with Sasuke. She knew that Ashura was waiting for him with Naruto up ahead.

Things wouldn't be the same as with Madara and Hashirama. Madara had reconciled (temporarily) with Hashirama, but he and Haruka had remained separated forever. That wasn't the case now. These three children were different from all the previous generations, and they would have a different future too.

Because the Vow of Restoration had finally been fulfilled.

_From this point on, I will reach out my hands to grab hold of the future_

* * *

Whew! Finally finished! Unfortunately, Hanako really does not get the happiest of endings, but Madara and Hashirama really didn't either, so... Also, the whole point is that Madara and Hashirama's reconciliation was only temporary because Madara remained separated from Hanako. Within their own lives, this was out of respect for Uchiha Futaba, who was already married to Madara before Konoha was founded and Hanako and Madara were both too respectful of the institution of marriage to return to being lovers. However, unlike Naruto, Sasuke, and especially Sakura, who were aware that they each technically had two different psyches within them (Ino literally says this of Sakura during their chuunin exam, and Hagoromo states that both Naruto and Sasuke were aware of Ashura and Indra's presence within them to a point), Madara, Hashirama, and Hanako were completely unaware that some of their chakra was not originally theirs, and thus, had no idea that Madara and Hanako both possessed the chakra of two people who had been husband and wife. Even though Hashirama didn't technically promise to bring Madara back until after he left Konoha, Ashura's original vow to reunite Haruka with Indra remained unfulfilled as a result of Madara being forced to marry Futaba "for the sake of the clan". So blame Tajima. XD

Also, in case it wasn't clear, in this story, Haruka is the entity known as Inner Sakura. When Sakura was young, Haruka would often get annoyed by how submissive she was and would voice her own thoughts to Sakura directly. When Ino used Shintenshin during her match with Sakura during the Chuunin exams, Haruka kicked her out purely because she didn't want _anybody_ going near Sasuke, who was Indra and therefore, her husband.


End file.
